How to convert Russian KAR files into Karafun.doc1(3)

How to convert Russian KAR files into Karafun (KFN) libraries.

A popular format for karaoke on PC is kar files. In fact, they are midi files but with timed lyrics added. There are several programs available to play kar files. I use VanBasco's karaoke player (free ware). It allows you to mute selected channels of the midi. (read: If you don't need the lead that helps you find the right melody, then it's possible to block that channel)

Unfortunately, the kar format was created before most computers became multilingual (started to support Unicode). In order to play, e.g. Russian songs in VanBasco's, you'll have to either use a Russian version of Window or make some special arrangements in your computer in order to have the text show properly.

But there are more formats and programs to play karaoke on PC.

An interesting program is Karafun (also freeware). Karafun comes with an editor that allows you to do amazing stuff with the visual part of the karaoke. You can select colors, fonts, background pictures and text movement at will. And have any of these parameters change where you desire. The music doesn't need to be midi, you may use mp3, as well.

Another good thing with Karafun is that it uses Unicode. If you intend to work not only with songs in West-European languages, then this becomes easier.

Karafun uses it's own format kfn.

So, go to next page and learn how to import the Russian kar-files into Karafun.

Good luck

Useful addresses:

VanBasco's karaoke player:

Karafun

Feedback:

  1. Start "Karafun editor" (If you have the player open, then ctrl-e will open the editor, but you may also launch the editor directly from the Windows start menu)
  2. Import the kar file you want to convert.
    -> File – Import – Kar Midi file…
    When presented with a selection of different ways to handle the music, leave the default "Include the music in the library", then click "terminate" (Strange word they picked here…)
  3. In the lower part of the screen, you should see a time scale (see illustration). You need to double-click in the "Vertical text (text) part (yellow in the illustration). This should bring up a text edit window with some weird text:
  4. Mark all text (ctrl-a) and copy to the clipboard (ctrl-c)
  5. Start Windows notepad
  6. Open menu item "Format – font" and make sure that the script is set to "Western"
  7. Paste the ugly text into notepad
  8. Save this file where you can easily find it.
    You may call it tempsong.txt and save on your windows desktop.
    Make sure the encoding ANSI is selected.
  9. Find the file you just saved and right-click on it. In the small menu that appears, select "open with", in the list of possible programs, pick "Internet Explorer".
  10. In Internet Explorer, pick menu item "View – encoding" and select "Cyrillic (Windows)". The text should become legible (for some of us, at least)
  11. Mark and copy all the text (Ctrl-a, Ctrl-C)
  12. Go back to Karafun Editor and paste the whole text into the text editor's window (Ctrl-v).
  13. Save the new Karafun file.

Serial production

If you left Notepad and Windows Explorer open, you can now easily convert more songs:

  1. In Karafun editor, start a new karaoke file (Ctrl-n)
  2. Import next song (see point two above)
  3. Double-click "Vertical text(text) field in the time-line
  4. Select and Copy text (Ctrl-a, Ctrl-c)
  5. Switch to the Notepad window
  6. Select all and paste (Ctrl-a, Ctrl-v)
  7. Save (Ctrl-s) in notepad
  8. Switch to Internet Explorer
  9. Refresh (F5)
  10. Select all and copy (Ctrl-a, Ctrl-c)
  11. Switch to Karafun editor, paste (ctrl-v) and save the new file.

Repeat as needed

Cleaning up afterwards:

  1. In Internet Explorer, set "View – encoding" back to automatic
  2. You may wish to delete "tempsong.txt".